I marked the publication of my book with a well-attended launch event last night at Amnesty International UK, chaired by David Hearst, former chief foreign leader writer for The Guardian.

In the weeks before the event, the Israeli embassy itself directly contacted Amnesty UK to ask them to cancel the launch, and also pressured Mr Hearst to withdraw his participation.

In targeting my book launch, Israeli diplomats in London resorted to crude smear tactics, the sort that are familiar fare for lobby groups, but rather more extraordinary coming from senior embassy officials. Thankfully, neither Amnesty UK nor Mr Hearst gave them the time of day, but the clumsy efforts by Israel’s official representatives to make certain topics “off limits” only drew attention to the issues my book is intended to address.

Israel’s diplomatic staff in London directly contacted the human rights organisation to demand the cancellation of the event. Amnesty UK naturally refused, pointing out that their building is a space where a diverse range of activists can meet, engage and debate issues relating to social justice and the promotion of human rights.

But it wasn’t just Amnesty who the Israeli Embassy pressured – they also contacted David Hearst, who has kindly agreed to chair the event. Hearst, now Editor of Middle East Eye, told me about the “dramatic” change in tone in the embassy’s communications with him:

“One minute [embassy official] Yiftah Curiel was professing that he would love to get some coffee or lunch with me to talk about the new website, and plying me with exclusive invitations to the Ambassador’s House for a discussion with the author Ari Shavit. The next he was shocked and horrified to learn that I had agreed to chair the launch of the second edition of your book.”

And when Hearst didn’t fold? “Pathetically, Curiel withdrew the invitation to the Ambassador’s house.”

Like this:

Yet another attempt by the Zionists to stifle debate, and to stifle debate, is to deny democracy. What could they possibly be so afraid of – the truth maybe?

Might they not like the comparison with South Africa and wish it was whitewashed over?

Why not go a stage further and make the comparison between the Israeli government, and that of the Nazis?

I feel absolutely certain they have much in common!

If only the wider public knew what goes on the Palestine. One day, they just might, and the last vestiges of support will ebb away, leaving only Israel, the UK, and the USA as the sole champions of black politics and inhumanity.